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First Western Fixed Income Fund Receives 5-Star Morningstar Rating

December 3, 2018 at 8:00 AM EST

DENVER, Dec. 03, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Western Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ: MYFW), a financial services holding company headquartered in Denver, Colorado (“First Western”), announced today that its First Western Fixed Income Fund (FWFIX) has received a 5-Star Overall Morningstar Rating out of 887 US Intermediate-Term Bond Funds, based on risk-adjusted returns through October 31, 2018.

John E. Sawyer, President of First Western Capital Management Company, the fund’s investment adviser, commented, “Since its inception in 2012, the First Western Fixed Income Fund has consistently outperformed its benchmark index while employing less risk over that period of time. We believe our top-down approach enables us to identify advantageous duration, sector weightings and industry allocations in the fund, while our proprietary fundamental research and team decision-making results in strong individual security selection.”

“Delivering superior risk-adjusted returns has enabled us to consistently attract new clients and build our wealth management business to more than $5.6 billion in assets under management,” said Scott C. Wylie, CEO of First Western. “We believe our combination of deep wealth management expertise and expert investment management capabilities are a big differentiator, driving value over time both for our clients and for our shareholders. We look forward to continuing to add scale to the business and generating additional profitable growth in the future.”

About First Western Financial, Inc.

First Western is a financial services holding company headquartered in Denver, Colorado, with operations in Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming and California. First Western Financial, Inc. and its subsidiaries, including First Western Capital Management Company, provide a fully integrated suite of wealth management services on a private trust bank platform, which includes a comprehensive selection of deposit, loan, trust, wealth planning and investment management products and services. First Western’s common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “MYFW.”

First Western Fixed Income Fund (FWFIX)

Performance shown is strictly for illustrative purposes and does not purport to show actual client returns or any composite managed by First Western Trust. Data contained herein is solely for informational purposes, is not GIPS compliant and should not be considered as such. Performance is calculated using generally accepted market indexes. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Investment and insurance products and services are not a deposit, are not FDIC- insured, are not insured by any federal government agency, are not guaranteed by the bank and may go down in value. Information and research contained herein do not represent a recommendation of investment advice to buy or sell stocks or any financial instrument nor is it intended as an endorsement of any security or investment and it does not constitute an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities.

The Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses must be considered carefully before investing. The prospectus contains this and other important information about the Fund, and it should be read carefully before investing. To obtain a prospectus, call (800) 292-6775.

First Western Fixed Income Fund, a series of First Western Funds Trust, is distributed by Ultimus Fund Distributors, LLC.

Mutual Fund investing involves risk, and principal loss is possible. Some U.S. Government securities, such as U.S. Government agency bonds, are neither insured nor guaranteed by the U.S. Government, meaning they are only supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Government or by the credit of the agency issuing the obligation. If the Fund invests in a U.S. Government security that is not backed by the U.S. Government, there is no assurance that the U.S. Government would provide support and the Fund’s performance could be adversely impacted if there is a deterioration in the financial condition of the issuer. Mortgage‐backed securities are subject to greater prepayment risk, especially when interest rates decline. Prepayment risk is the risk that the principal on mortgage‐backed securities, other asset‐backed securities or any fixed‐income security with an embedded call option may be prepaid at any time, which could reduce yield and market value. This could reduce the effective maturity of a mortgage backed security and cause the Fund to reinvest its assets at a lower prevailing interest rate. Mortgage‐backed securities are subject to extension risk which is the risk that rising interest rates will increase the effective maturity of mortgage‐backed securities due to the deceleration of prepayments. Mortgage‐backed securities may also be subject to risks unique to the housing industry, including mortgage lending practices, defaults, foreclosures and changes in real estate values. The Fund’s investments in collateralized mortgage obligations are subject to the risk that payments may not be made on time, prepayment and extension risk and market risk when interest rates rise. Asset‐Backed securities may be affected by factors concerning the interests in and structure of the issuer or the originator of the receivables, the creditworthiness of the entities that provide any supporting letters of credit or other credit enhancements or the market’s assessment of the quality of the underlying security.

The Morningstar Rating for funds, or "star rating", is calculated for managed products (including mutual funds, variable annuity and variable life subaccounts, exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds, and separate accounts) with at least a three-year history. Exchange-traded funds and open-ended mutual funds are considered a single population for comparative purposes. It is calculated based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure that accounts for variation in a managed product's monthly excess performance, placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. The top 10% of products in each product category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receive 2 stars, and the bottom 10% receive 1 star. The Overall Morningstar Rating for a managed product is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its three-, five-, and 10-year (if applicable) Morningstar Rating metrics. The weights are: 100% three-year rating for 36-59 months of total returns, 60% five-year rating/40% three-year rating for 60-119 months of total returns, and 50% 10-year rating/30% five-year rating/20% three-year rating for 120 or more months of total returns. While the 10-year overall star rating formula seems to give the most weight to the 10-year period, the most recent three-year period actually has the greatest impact because it is included in all three rating periods. 887 funds in the last three years, 785 funds in the last five years, with respect to these US Intermediate-Term Bond Funds, FWFIX received a Morningstar Rating of four stars and five stars for the three and five year periods.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this news release regarding our expectations and beliefs about our future financial performance and financial condition, as well as trends in our business and markets are “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements often include words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “estimate,” “project,” “outlook,” or words of similar meaning, or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” or “may.” The forward looking statements in this news release are based on current information and on assumptions that we make about future events and circumstances that are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that are often difficult to predict and beyond our control. As a result of those risks and uncertainties, our actual financial results in the future could differ, possibly materially, from those expressed in or implied by the forward looking statements contained in this news release and could cause us to make changes to our future plans. Those risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, the risk of geographic concentration in Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming and California; the risk of changes in the economy affecting real estate values and liquidity; the risk in our ability to continue to originate residential real estate loans and sell such loans; risks specific to commercial loans and borrowers; the risk of claims and litigation pertaining to our fiduciary responsibilities; the risk of competition for investment managers and professionals; the risk of fluctuation in the value of our investment securities; the risk of changes in interest rates; and the risk of the adequacy of our allowance for credit losses and the risk in our ability to maintain a strong core deposit base or other low-cost funding sources. Additional information regarding these and other risks and uncertainties to which our business and future financial performance are subject is contained in our Prospectus filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) dated July 18, 2018 (“Prospectus”), and other documents we file with the SEC from time to time. We urge readers of this news release to review the Risk Factors section of that Prospectus and the Risk Factors section of other documents we file with the SEC from time to time. Also, our actual financial results in the future may differ from those currently expected due to additional risks and uncertainties of which we are not currently aware or which we do not currently view as, but in the future may become, material to our business or operating results. Due to these and other possible uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this news release, which speak only as of today’s date, or to make predictions based solely on historical financial performance. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law.